Death and the King’s Horseman (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Wole Soyinka
- First Published: 1975
- Type of Work: Drama
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: 1944
- Setting: Oyo, Nigeria
- Principal Characters: Elesin Oba, Praise-Singer, Iyaloja, Simon Pilkings, Jane Pilkings, Sergeant Amusa, Joseph, Bride, Olunde
- Genres: Drama, Tragedy
- Subjects: Africa or Africans, Colonies or colonization, Sex or sexuality, 1940’s, Religion, Duty, Death or dying, Rites or ceremonies
- Locales: Oyo, Nigeria
The Story:
The alafin (king) had died. It was time for his chief lieutenant, Elesin Oba, to will his own death, so that he might accompany the alafin on his passage to the next life. As Elesin entered the market, the Praise-Singer pleaded with him to tarry a while, to enjoy the last fruits of life in this world. Elesin, a man of enormous courage, rejected this plea and boasted of his readiness to meet death without fear. He talked of the Not-I bird that sounded at the approach of death, echoed by people from all levels of society who sought to flee death—all but he, the...
[The entire page is 2169 words long]
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